Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Sub-Saharan Africa is a mess. Don't let articles written by lamestream journalists wearing rose-coloured specs fool you. Walt's agents are everywhere (especially in southern Africa) and they send us the real news. With the exception of one or two countries, Africa and its people are in worse shape today than during the much-reviled colonial era.

The CAR used to be a French colony, called Ubangi-Chari, later part of French Equatorial Africa.

Some of the people used to wear huge lip plates as ornaments, to the delight of such as P.T. Barnum who brought them to America to exhibit as freaks. (Before you laugh, check your mirror for tattoos and piercings!)

We'll skip over the post-colonial episode of the Central African Empire, ruled by the Emperor Bokassa 1st who used to keep chunks of his enemies' bodies in the palace freezer so he could eat them later. Bokassa was overthrown with the connivance of the French -- because he was an embarrassment -- and the CAR hasn't had a stable government since.

One of the reasons for the CAR's instability is that it is one of those countries which is torn between the Musilm north and the Christian/animist south, like Mali, Nigeria and the Sudan. As I write, Islamic extremists, supported by invaders from Chad (another basket case), Mali and Libya, are invading the CAR's capital, Bangui. The customary raping, looting and pillage has ensued. Chaos reigns.

The French (embarrassed again) have put 1500 pairs of military boots (and counting) on the ground to combat the Muslim terrorists, but are far from clearing the area. Meanwhile, more than 100,000 refugees are thronging the cathedral and the airport, clamouring for protection from the savages.

Speaking of "savages", here's a quote from Catastrophe: Europe Goes to War 1914, by Max Hastings (William Collins 2013):

Lucien Laby was in charge of an escort taking fourteen German prisoners to the rear, when their little column was suddenly beset by Senegalese troops determined to cut off the Germans' ears. After a violent scuffle, the colonial soldiers were driven back.

One big Senegalese saluted Laby and said wistfully, "O my lieutenant, you might have let me cut off two ears -- just two ears!"

A French army chaplain, while applauding the terror that such colonial infantry inspired among the Germans, deplored the difficulties of dealing with their wounded patients at his hospital: "The blacks from North Africa are almost as civilised as their Berber or Arab compatriots...[but] there are others from West Africa and the French Congo...who are very primitive indeed".

Until very recently, a quenelle was (only) a delicious Lyonnais dish consisting of creamed fish, chicken, or meat, sometimes combined with breadcrumbs, with a light egg binding, usually poached. Now, however, the word has acquired another meaning, which is drawing the ire of progressive thinkers and the PC police across Europe -- especially France.

Ersatz? Looks to Walt more like a reversed Nazi salute, with the arm extended downwards in an upside-down Sieg Heil manner. With your other arm -- I know you're already trying this at home -- you reach across your chest and touch your shoulder. Got it?

But what does it mean? Like many gestures, the quenelle is subject to interpretation. Wikipedia says the gesture was "invented" by a French "political activist and comedian" [= wiseacre. Ed.] named Dieudonné M'bala M'bala. [How French is that? Ed.]

His name (and the accompanying photo) suggest that M M'bala M'bala is a gentleman of the coloured persuasion. In the USA, it is not unknown for black "activists" to be strongly against Jews and Zionism. Malcolm X, Jesse Jackson, "the Rev" Al Sharpton and even the sainted Martin Lucifer King all made anti-Semitic statements [rants, surely. Ed.] at one time or another.

Da man (Dieudonné) says the quenelle is "an anti-establishment gesture," but critics -- and there are many! -- describe it as an expression of anti-Semitism -- an underhanded manner of expressing hatred for Jews without inviting legal prosecution. The negative intent of the gesture, they say, is further underlined by Dieudonné's history of anti-Semitic remarks and racial hatred convictions. Dieudonne was widely denounced for saying about Jewish journalist, Patrick Cohen: "When I hear Patrick Cohen speaking, I say to myself, you see, the gas chambers … too bad [they no longer exist]."

Sunday, December 29, 2013

Even though it's one of Walt's favourite cities, we don't often feature news from Macau on WWW. However, thanks to Agent 88, we have a picture of efforts being made to promote better relations between China (of which Macau is now a part) and Japan.

Errr, yes. This is Japanese AV girl Mizuna Rei, practising some sort of interactive communication with a Chinese visitor to the Asia Adult Expo 2013, held in Macau a couple of weeks ago.

Exactly what is going on is unclear but it appears to be a game of some sort. To judge from other pictures, AAE2013 featured a wide variety of games and other products not often seen (in public, at least) in the puritanical ABC countries. Walt notes that all of the entertainments on display seem targetted at people of the heterosexual persuasion.

A&E made the announcement this afternoon. They didn't say "by popular demand" or "as a result of popular outrage". But clearly, expressions of ridicule and disgust by millions sick and tired of pandering to the "LGBT community" had their effect. Let's call it a win for our side!

Yet the pandering coninues. According to the report on the abcNEWS website, A&E couldn't resist adding that they would "use this moment to launch a national public service campaign promoting unity, tolerance and acceptance among all people, a message that supports our core values as a company, and the values found in 'Duck Dynasty.' These [ads] will air across our entire portfolio." Pass the sick bag.

So she did a survey of 175 people from the USA, Canada, and other Commonwealth countries to find out how familiar they were with certain terms heard commonly in Canada, but not so commonly elsewhere. She came up with a list of 55 Canadianisms. Poor Len has contributed explanations and comments on ten of them. We begin with...

Yes, Michelle, it's a tuque, and a nice one too, bearing the logo of the most successful professional sports team of all time...anywhere! Americans might call this a wool hat, or a ski cap, or a knitted cap. People in Britain or Australia haven't a clue. For more on the tuque (or toque or touque) see "Hey hosers - what do you call that cap on your head?", from CBCNews.

You can bet that 1000s of people in Toronto are wearing tuques this week, even in the house. That's because they are without hydro. (And it's not Rob Ford's fault!) "Hydro" is short for hydro-electric power. In many Canadian provinces, hydro is the chief source of light and heat. And many providers of "electricity" (as it's called elsewhere) use the word "hydro" in their names: Manitoba Hydro, Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro, and BC Hydro. In Ontario, the main provider is called Hydro None.

Homo milk -- milk from transgendered cows marketed to members of the LGBT community. OK, just kidding. The term is actually short for "homogenized milk" -- milk with 3.25% butterfat. Calling homo milk "homogenized milk" isn't strictly accurate, since most of the milk sold in supermarkets and elsewhere is homogenized, regardless of its fat content.

Those who prefer beverages stronger than milk should learn about mickeys, two-fours and twenty-sixers. In the USA, a "mickey" might be a short form for "Mickey Finn", a drink laced with chloral hydrate or some other stupefying agent. [How old are you? That term was last used 90 years ago! Ed.] In Canada it refers to a 12-ounce bottle of liquor, sometimes curved to fit in one's back pocket -- a "hip flask".

A "two-four" is a case -- sometimes known as a "square" or a "flat" -- of 24 bottles (not cans) of beer. And we mean real Canadian beer, not the American stuff that's like a couple having sex in a canoe. A "twenty-sixer" is a 26-ounce bottle of liquor. The term is still used, even though the bottle actually contains only 24 ounces (or 750 ml), roughly the equivalent of an American "quart", which of course is what it's called in the US of A.

Hey... what do you call that thing along the edge of your roof, where the ice is building up on top of the leaves you didn't clean out in the fall? Americans and people living in Commonwealth countries generally refer to is as a "gutter". Canadians call it an "eavestrough", and Ms Sherred says the term is virtually unknown in any other country.

What do you put in your coffee or tea [Wozzat? Ed.] if you don't have (or are allergic to) milk or cream? Americans might use "creamer" or "non-dairy whitener", the same stuff Canadians call simply "whitener" -- any powder or liquid used to whiten coffee of tea [Wozzat? Ed.]

You could also stir it into your kid's pablum. Purists (and IP lawyers) would like that to be spelled with a capital P, as it is a trademarked name. But, I hear you ask, what is it? Pablum is a processed cereal for infants originally marketed by the Mead Johnson Company in 1931. It was developed by genuine hosers at Toronto's famous Hospital for Sick Children. Nowadays it's a Heinz product, in spite of which the word must be regarded as 100% Canadian!

Finally -- and still on the subject of food -- we have "all-dressed", a phrase which can be applied to pizza, potato chips (not crisps!), hamburgers or hotdogs. Whatever you're having "all-dressed" comes with all the trimmings -- the works... everything... Ms Sherred says all-dressed chips are "as Canadian as poutine and maple syrup".

Footnote: Domino's and Boston Pizza, which sell takeout pizza on both sides of the World's Longest Lightly-defended Border, report that Americans, on average, ask for only one topping (other than tomato and cheese) on their pizzas. Canadians get three.

Another footnote: Mickey D's is now marketing poutine, but only in Canada. Walt finds this hard to understand, since a bowl of fries, cheese curd and gravy should be a terrific seller in the USA.

Yes, folks, there really is a place called Biggar in the western Canadian province of Saskatchewan. Motto (in case the pic is too small): New York is big, but this is Biggar!

How (I hear you asking) did Biggar get its name? According to Agent 3, who lived in that neck of the woods for a while, there are two theories. The first is that it was named after a director the Canadian Pacific Railway. The top hat gang were travelling through western Canada on newly laid track and decreed that there should be a town every 15 miles or so. Having given no thought to names, they adopted the expedient of naming the proposed settlements after themselves.

The other theory is that the same directors stopped the train 15 miles after the last one, looked around, saw nothing, and said "B*gg*r this!" The company secretary supplied the missing vowels in the meeting minutes.

Whatever the truth of the matter may be, it must be said that "Biggar" is not much of a name. Walt thinks the town should be renamed, if not after a saint [they're all already taken by Québec. Ed.], then by a name out of history, or the name of someplace in "the old country".

But which old country? Walt is in the middle of Catastrophe: Europe Goes to War 1914, the weighty but interesting new work by Max Hastings (Collins 2013). In the chapter on the campaigns in Galicia -- the part of modern-day Poland and Ukraine around the Carpathian mountains -- there are some great place names. And there are loads of Ukrainian-Canadians in Saskatchewan. [And "Walt" is a common name amongst Ukrainians and people of that ilk, right? Ed.]

Yes... for all these reasons I am suggesting "Biggar" be changed to... wait for it... Przemysl! Or Перемишль -- aintcha impressed?!To make it easier to spell, we'll omit the accent mark from the Romanized version. [Wouldn't hurt to add a vowel or two as well. Ed.] To the citizens of Biggar... you're welcome!

Saturday, December 21, 2013

Former speaker of the House or Representatives Newt Gingrich yesterday joined the growing chorus of supporters of suspended Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson. Mr. Robertson was booted off the show by A&E after making "anti-gay remarks" to GQ magazine. But, on his Crossfire show on CNN, Newt likened Robertson to Pope Francis!

"If you read the whole interview," Mr. Gingrich said, "he talks very specifically about loving everybody. He talks about not being judgmental towards anybody. That's God' decision, not his."

A&E has not commented officially on the removal of the star of the popular show. But Mr. Robertson put out a statement saying that his comments to GQ were in line with his Christian faith, while pointing out that he "would never treat anyone with disrespect just because they're different from me."

His family released a statement on the Duck Commander website in which they expressed thanks for the outpouring of support and prayers. The statement said Phil's "beliefs are grounded in the Bible" and he "is a Godly man."

"We are disappointed that Phil has been placed on hiatus for expressing his faith," the family says. "We have had a successful working relationship with A&E but as a family, we cannot imagine the show going forward without our patriarch at the helm."

A&E has followed a time-honoured tradition of the lamestream media, by quickly silencing those who dare to speak their mind -- or proclaim their faith -- when their opinions and beliefs run contrary to the prevailing orthodoxies of secular humanism and the superiority of all things and people gay.

Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, who had her picture taken with Mr. Robertson just last month, complained that his rights to freedom of speech were being trampled. Lousiaiana Governor Bobby Jindal, complained that Miley Cyrus got a pass for twerking on TV while Phil got shown the door. (Duck Dynasty is filmed in LA.)

One of the programme's many outraged fans, Rick Peter, of Vernon BC, told Associated Press, "It's a show that is promoting clean living and good moral values, and that's something we need more of today."

What did Phil Robertson say?!

In the GQ interview, when asked his definition of sinful behaviour, Mr. Robertson replied, "Start with homosexual behaviour and just go from there.... Don't be deceived. Neither the adulterers, the idolaters, the male prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the greedy, the drunkards, the slanderers, the swindlers — they won't inherit the kingdom of God. Don't deceive yourself. It's not right."

And that's exactly what you'll find in the Bible, in St. Paul's first letter to the Corinthians. "Know you not that the unjust shall not possess the kingdom of God? Do not err: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor the effeminate, nor liers with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor railers, nor extortioners, shall possess the kingdom of God." (I Corinthians 6:9-10, DRV)

People like Rick Peter say conservative views like his are not just overlooked but ignored by Hollywood and the lamestream media, relentless in their disparagement of Christian values and glorification of perversion.

"I think we're getting a little bit tired of that pro-gay sentiment that's out there in the media and it's time to fight back," said Mr. Peter. And A.P. quotes Randy Schmidt of Illinois, who agrees, saying that while gay people can be happy that some states have granted them the right to marry, "I find it unnecessary to flaunt it all over the media."

Dear readers, Walt begs you, be silent no longer! If you are sick, sore and tired of having the LGBT agenda and other types of political correctness crammed down your throat (or other orifice), speak up!

Use the comments feature of online news sites. Vote in online polls and opinion forums. Use the power of the social media. Don't "rail", but don't be afraid to send your expressions of righteous indignation to the press and the politicians. It's time for majority opinion to be heard!

There won't be any Obamas or Bidens at the Sochi Olympics, two months hence. Nosiree! In yet another instance of pandering to the powerful LGBT lobby, the Prez has declared that he finds Russia's laws against promoting homosexuality "offensive". And, in a gesture of being offended, he has decided to poke the bear by sending, in his stead, some gay athletes and athletic supporters.

Billie Jean King -- role model for Ontario's Premier Kathleen Wynne -- has been asked to head the US delegation. She says she is "deeply honoured". Lesbian hockey player Caitlin Cahow is the other openly gay representative to the delegation. She'll attend the closing ceremony. And Janet Napolitano gets to go too.

What, Walt asks, will Canada do? Steve "Stephen" Harper is well known for kissing Obama's ass and telling him it smells like chocolate ice cream. And Canada's foreign minister, John "John" Baird threw a monstrous hissy fit when the Russian laws were announced, accusing the Russkis of homophobia, hate crime, yada yada yada.

Agent 3 suggests that since the US is sending two queers, it would be only fitting for Canada to send Baird and his confirmed bachelor buddy, Jason Kenney. But my sub, Poor Len Canayen, says it won't happen because to do so would be tantamount to admitting that Baird and Kenney are as gay as 18 balloons. As of this morning, they are still not just in the cabinet, but in the closet.

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

The hail-from place names in this video are Californian, but the situation is all-American, coast to coast. Thanks to Agent 6 for alerting us to this little epic by Ken Tanaka. Here's "What kind of Asian are you?"

Now that you've watched the video, listen as the actors read some comments posted in response by (Walt guesses) real Americans.

Remember, folks, these comments are from average Americans, people who are not only allowed to roam the streets of the USA at will, but to vote! Some of them may even be elected to public office. Is it any wonder that America's relations with the rest of the world -- not to mention its reputation -- are such a mess.

Monday, December 16, 2013

Last night, on the hit TV series Family Guy, Brian Griffin, beloved dog, came back from the dead! Just like Bobby Ewing, only much quicker, and with a convoluted plot twist which made the old "it was only a dream" shtick look reasonable.

For the three or four people on the planet who don't watch Family Guy, Brian was hit by a car last month. Stewie, having just destroyed his time machine, was uanble to go back in time and rescue him. And so the Griffins got a new dog, Vinnie, who seemed to have been abandoned by a family of Mafiosi.

In last night’s episode, Vinnie takes Stewie to visit the local mall Santa, to cheer him (Stewie) up. Stewie asks Santa to return Brian for Christmas. "I want my friend back," he cries. "My best friend, my dog, Brian, he’s dead. It’s out first Christmas without him and no one has even mentioned his name. I don’t care about this stupid carnival or Christmas! I don’t care about anything but Brian!"

And, he adds, "Oh yeah. I'd like a bike, too." But Santa can't produce a bike, let alone Brian, so Stewie is disappointed. But then... here it comes... Stewie spots an "alternate Stewie" (the product of an earlier travel through time) in the toy store, and remembers that the other Stewie has a copy of the time machine was hidden in his backpack.

Mirabile dictu! Stewie swipes alternate Stewie's time machine, goes back to the scene of the accident in which Brian was killed, and pushes him out of harm's way, just in the nick of time! Vinnie is left in the future -- I guess -- along with alternate Stewie, and Stewie and Brian are BFFs once again. Got it?

Walt wonders if Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane was genuinely moved by the outpouring of grief of 1000s of Brian-lovers, or the numerous online petitions to bring back the loveable dog. Or was this MacFarlane's "New Coke" strategy, killing off Brian and introducing the new character who made the hard-drinking, sarcastic, lecherous Brian look good by comparison.

If this tortured plot twist was indeed planned months in advance, in an attempt to create a buzz and build ratings, that would have been a very cyncial move, wouldn't it. Could TV producers be cyncial manipulators who delight in playing on the emotions of their audiences? Could bears still defecate in the shrubbery? Anyway, welcome back Brian!

Saturday, December 14, 2013

First of all, the majority of people you might say "Happy Holidays" to are not on holiday! Folks who work retail are probably putting in extra hours, with stores open 24/7, and even on traditional holidays like Christmas Day and Boxing Day. (Americans can ask a Brit or a Canuck what that's all about.) Such is the quest for the almighty dollar that the three weeks from mid-December until Little Christmas are the busiest of the year for retailers. You should have seen the crowd at the Fort Mudge liquor store today.

Secondly, in spite of your good wishes, this is not a happy time of the year. It's a very stressful season. Suicides spike. Thefts increase. So does begging. What's there to be happy about?! No wonder Scrooge says "Bah, humbug!"

Finally, when you wish someone "Happy Holidays" (or anything else), your wish implies that there's something wrong with the status quo, that their present situation -- whatever it is -- could be better. Thus the wisher imposes a value judgment on the wishee! Maybe the person you're greeting is quite "happy" being a Grinch. Leave them alone!

Footnote: Speaking of "holidays", whatever happened to "Kwanzaa"? Seems to Walt that is (or was) a "black thing" dreamed up by white people, probably greeting card manufacturers. Only in the USA... Even the Canadian government, notorious for pandering to vizmins, didn't bite on that one!

This amazing feat of superb engineering is the latest creation of two German brothers, who started out with a model railway. Then, as you'll see from today's video, it grew like Topsy! Before long the brothers were joined by other model railroad clubs and other craftsmen -- electricians, model makers, carpenters, computer programmers.

Now the "Miniatur Wunderland" has a bakery, kitchen, and restaurant so visitors can have coffee and cake while admiring and examining the massive and complex layout. The challenge now is that, with the addition of the airport, the enthusiasts have just about run out of room.

Watch the video and prepare to be amazed. Running time is just under 5 minute and it's already had over 13 million hits on YouTube. Thanks to Agent 9 for passing this along.

Being an uncle of the Numero Uno (I don't know how to write it in Hangul script) doesn't necessarily make you loyal. Mr. Chang was accused of treachery and disloyalty and trying to organize a coup. If you were watching the TV news, you saw a video clip of two uniformed army types lifting Mr. Chang out of his seat at a special party meeting and frog-marching him out of frame to... well... to his death!

Today it is revealed that Mr. Chang was given a summary trial of sorts and promptly "executed". At least, that's what the English-language media are telling us. At first he was said to have been shot, in traditional Communist fashion. (The Chinese Communists make the family of the deceased pay for the bullet too.) But Agent 78, checking the Chinese media, tells a different story.

According to Agent 78, Mr. Chang was not shot, but eaten! A story published in a Hong Kong newspaper claims he was thrown into a cage of what 78 translates as "cheetahs", who made a meal of him...literally! It seems odd to Walt that there would be cheetahs in North Korea. [Try the Canadian Senate. Ed.] Perhaps it was lions. Or wolves. Or pigs. But it does seem like a fitting end for a corrupt politician.

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Ed. here. We were pleased (and a bit surprised) to see a large number of hits today on "Ben Stein talks about Christmas and God", which we ran just over four years ago. Evidently there are still many people out there who are sick, sore and tired of this "Happy Holidays" nonsense -- all part of the campaign of the secular humanists to remove Christian values from our society.

Just by coincidence, we received a press release from Coralie Graham, editor of the Fatima Crusader magazine. She challenges us to do what we can to keep Christ in CHRISTmas.

For some years now we have faced the tragedy of "those in command" taking God and prayer out of the schools, the communities and anything government-funded (with our tax money). In recent years we have seen that they have the audacity to separate "Christ" from "Christmas".

"CHRISTmas is no longer 'in'", they tell us. And for some, it's actually illegal! Who says so?! It’s time to say "Bah humbug!" to "Happy Holidays"!

What can we do about it? Let us challenge the world to stand up and be counted. Together, we can make a difference. Together, our voice will be heard and heeded.

I have seen a few wonderful people out there promoting CHRISTmas — but they can’t do it alone. In the last couple of years flash mobs have gone into “Happy Holiday” malls to sing CHRISTmas carols. Videos on YouTube got millions of hits. There’s a clue: millions are paying attention. We are not alone!

There are so many ways you can participate in the “Keep Christ in CHRISTmas Challenge”, using whatever means God has given you.

Say "Merry Christmas!" and wish a Happy HOLY Christmas to everyone you meet, regardless of whether they say "Happy Holidays" or not.

When in the malls and stores, pretend you see friends a distance away and shout "Hey, Merry CHRISTmas!" I actually did this and, yes, there were a handful of people who looked for a straight jacket. But more people got the point. Strangers smiled, some actually chuckled and as they passed me, and made a point of saying loudly and clearly, "Merry Christmas!"

Here's another idea: a prize for the Best Home Nativity Scene.

If you belong to a group, or have been blessed with a little extra cash, sponsor a contest with a nice prize — maybe a Nativity Scene - for the most inspirational Nativity Scene outside a home in your community. I did this some years ago and the response was heartwarming. It encouraged more people to publicly proclaim Christ on their property (seeing as it's not allowed on public grounds) and the winning scenes were photographed and put in the local newspaper.

Or you could organize a Keep Christ in CHRISTmas Essay Contest.

Post an ad in the local newspaper, put flyers up in store windows, on telephone poles, in libraries, in laundromats, or wherever, advertising a contest for the best essay on "What I will do to keep Christ in Christmas". If your budget permits, you could have prizes for different age groups.

Seek permission from your local school boards [Good luck with that! Ed.] and invite school children to participate. Get past the obstacle that the schools are "not allowed" to do this by telling them you are only advertising the contest open to those who wish to participate. We did this in our community and even some non-Catholic school teachers had their classes do essays as a project.

Don't be afraid to challenge the commercial stores.

Talk to managers and tell them that there is a growing group of customers who will boycott their store if they don’t stop boycotting CHRISTmas! Tell them you want to see "Merry Christmas" signs and displays, and that you represent the majority, not the minority.

Challenge the cashiers at the checkouts too!

Remember when there wasn't one checkout clerk who didn’t wish you "Merry Christmas"? Now they're told they're not allowed to say that. So they say "Happy Holidays" or just keep silent. You can see they want to express the Christmas sentiment, but know they may be fired if they do. What to do? Say loudly enough so the rest of the lineup can hear, "I know you are forbidden to wish me a Merry Christmas but I do wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Holy New Year!"

These are just a few of the Christmas challenges I have been involved in over the years. Other than contest prizes, you don’t need a lot of money to do these things. But you do need Faith and courage. For some, it’s not easy to speak out, but try it! When you do, the warm feeling you will experience in your heart and soul will be one of the greatest gifts God gives you this Christmas.

Which is what the Church always taught until political correctness forced Her to soften the tone a bit. Now it's just "objectively disordered", according to Benedict XVI, and maybe less than that according to Time's Person of the Year.

The ruling overturns a 2009 decision that had decriminalized homosexual acts, not unknown in India especially amongst a surprisingly large group of professional eunuchs. As you can imagine, the court's decision provoked an immediate angry response from the usual gang of "gay rights" spokespersons. "Religious organizations", they are saying, are responsible for the change.

Presumably those "religious organizations" would not include the Roman Catholic Church. Taking his cue from Pope Francis, Oswald Cardinal Gracias, Archbishop of Mumbai and president of the Indian Conference of Bishops, denied that the Catholic Church had sought the high court’s ruling. The prelate said that while the Catholic Church was opposed to same-sex marriage, "the Catholic Church has never been opposed to the decriminalization of homosexuality, because we have never considered gay people criminals."

To which Walt says: What, not even criminals against nature?! And what do you call someone who breaks God's commandments? But then, who are our religious leaders to judge? Leave that to the courts...

Monday, December 9, 2013

Vatican watchers are starting to gossip about the health of Pope Francis. Is some kind of problem being covered up? The Vatican is, after all, quite expert in hiding the truth, not just about the Third Secret of Fatima, but about the medical problems of the Holy Father's two predecessors.

Pope John Paul II was visibly severely afflicted with Parkinson's Disease. His palsy was painfully obvious, yet the Vatican kept denying it until it was impossible to do so any longer. Even in his last days, when JPII was no longer in public view, we were told he was celebrating Holy Mass in his bedroom. But his doctor's official report, published later in Acta Apostolicae Sedis, indicated that he had a fever of 40 degrees Celsius and was rendered essentially unconscious by blood poisoning.

Then there was Pope Benedict XVI, elected at a rather advanced age but, according to the same Vatican sources, in remarkably good health for a man in his mid-80s. Such good health, we could see, that he was unable to walk down the aisle of St. Peter's but had to be transported on a wheeled platform. After his resignation, the "pope emeritus" explained that he had given up the office because of his poor health, flatly contradicting the official party line.

Which brings us to Francis. His audiences scheduled for November 15th were cancelled because -- according to the official Vatican network -- he had a cold. Other media raised the ante a bit, calling his problem "the flu", but that could be just a difference of terminology between North American usage and that of Europe. Whatever it was, it kept him home from work, so to speak.

Now comes news that the Holy Father cancelled a private audience which was to have been held on December 5th. (If you're going to follow the link, ignore the headline. The news about the cancelled meeting comes in the second sentence of the text.) A statement from Vatican spokesthingy Father Federico Lombardi claimed that Francis was "fatigued." How so? Well, it seems the Pope had attended meetings with cardinals that morning and the previous afternoon. You would think that schedule not abnormally onerous, but who knows?

What we do know is that the statement was given by the same Father Lombardi who was, errr, economical with the truth when he spoke of the health of John Paul II and Benedict XVI. Father Lombardi said there was "no cause for alarm". Forgive us, Father, but we've heard that before. Of this you can be sure: when the Vatican denies what would otherwise be a minor matter, they are almost certainly hiding something major!

Sunday, December 8, 2013

Remember how the men and women of the Salvation Army used to stand on the sidewalk around this time of year, ringing their little bells and blessing you for putting something in their red kettles to help the down and out? Well, they're still doing it -- and Walt encourages you to give something next time you see one -- but the style has changed.

This video was shot in New York City yesterday by John Vennari, editor of Catholic Family News. Thanks for sharing, John, and MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Ed. here. Walt isn't available today -- making up for the role of Zwarte Piet at a Christmas party -- so I'm dipping into the slush pile to share a little cartoon someone sent us a while ago. Let it be your Sunday smile.

Saturday, December 7, 2013

Did you miss it the first time around? This weekend could be your big chance to see Rochelle, Rochelle, "the story of a young girl’s strange, erotic journey from Milan to Minsk".

Posters for the "movie" have appeared in several locations around New York City, evidently the work of a local artist who would appear to be a big fan of the late lamented TV series, Seinfeld.

We know that because Rochelle, Rochelle doesn't really exist. It's a trope, a totally bogus title referred to in a number of Seinfeld episodes, beginning in Season 3 when Jerry, Elaine and George go to see it because they missed another movie they wanted to see.

We get to hear Bette Midler sing the "title song" from the equally bogus Broadway adaptation in Season 6. Here's a video clip from "The Understudy".

Friday, December 6, 2013

Headline and subhead in the online edition of today's Notional Post:What's next in racially charged South Africa?
Mandela’s vision of a ‘rainbow nation’ failed, almost inevitably, to meet the heady expectations propelling the country two decades ago

Headline on Walt's first post yesterday:What happens, now that the black "redeemer" has died?

The accompanying text points out that today's South Africa is hardly the paradise on earth that Mandiba and those who used his name promised would follow the end of the "racist white apartheid regime". The truth is that South Africa is becoming more like its neighbours north of the Limpopo -- going back to bush, that is -- with every passing day. "Almost inevitably", as the Post would say.

Footnote from Ed.: Geoffrey York, the Glob and Mail's man in Africa, had a piece published just a couple of days ago -- terrible timing, that -- headed "Nearly 90, Mugabe still driving Zimbabwe's economy into the ground".

Unfortunately it was behind the G&M's "Unlimited" firewall so we weren't able to read it. But we take Mr. York's point to be that if Mugabe lives another five years -- as everyone fears -- he'll actually finish the job that Mandela only started.

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Walt has just been shown the story of what Albuquerque NM attorney Shannon L. Kennedy calls "the most egregious case of law enforcement abuse" she ever saw in eighteen years of practice. She has filed a lawsuit against the police department of Deming NM, plus a district attorney and a number of doctors, on behalf of one David Eckert, a man with a reputation for concealing illegal substances in his, errr, nether orifice.

The lawsuit alleges that Deming police pulled Mr. Eckert over at a Walmart parking lot for failing to yield at a stop sign. When he stepped out of his vehicle, the cops thought he was "clenching his buttocks". Not thinking that perhaps Eckert had a bad case of the runs, they suspected him of hiding drugs in his anal cavity, so they got a warrant for an internal search.

Acting on the warrant, the police took Mr. Eckert -- buttocks still clenched, presumably -- to a nearby ER, where doctors refused to look into the matter (geddit?), calling it "unethical". Undeterred [Stop it. Ed.] the cops transported him to Gila Regional Medical Center in Silver City.

The doctors there agreed to do the necessary. First, they x-rayed Mr. Eckert. No narcotics were found. Then they performed two rectal examinations, and still found nothing. But did they stop there? Noooo. The docs gave him an enema, and forced him to evacuate in front of them and the boys in blue. Still no result.

Not satisfied, the good doctors gave Mr. Eckert a second enema, then a third, followed by a second x-ray. Still, they found nothing. But the story doesn't end there! Determined to get to the bottom of things [I said stop it!. Ed.], the doctors sedated Mr. Eckert and performed a colonscopy, sticking a camera up his rectum, into his colon and large intestine. No drugs were found, and Mr. Eckert was released, some 12 hours after his arrest.

Said Attorney Kennedy, "You could never anticipate this happening in the USA." I hate to cast aspersions on those whose mission is "to serve and protect", but I find it very easy to anticipate. The police in the USA (and every other police state on earth) do what they like. They may not have the right, but they have the power.

Nelson Mandela died today, at the age of 95. RIP. Now that he's gone to his reward, you can expect an outpouring of breast beating and maudlin sentiment such as has not been seen since the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Mandela would be a candidate for instant sainthood, if only he were Catholic. [In today's Church, do you really have to be Catholic? Ed.]

Mixed in with all the weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth will be a large dose of anti-colonial, anti-white rhetoric. Comparisons will be made with the plight of the Jews in the Egypt of the Pharaohs. The Afrikaners will be cast in the role of the evil oppressors, while Mandela is portrayed as the Holy Moses who led his people out of bondage and into... well... into what? Into the promised land of black empowerment, equal rights for all (even queers), and all the blessings a "rainbow nation" can bestow.

Conveniently overlooked will be the fact that, for the vast majority of its people, South Africa is no better -- and in some respects worse -- than it was in the days of apartheid. The education system is in freefall, corruption is rife, and violent crime threatens virtually everyone. In other words, South Africa has become like the rest of sub-Saharan Africa under black rule.

Walt hopes that in the last couple of years of his life, Mr. Mandela's faculties were so dimmed by illness and old age that he was unaware of what a shambles his people have made of his beloved country.

Here's a quote from an early work by V.S. Naipaul, an ethnic Indian native of Trinidad, with some experience of Africa and the failings of countries, including his own, in the post-colonial era. This is from "Michael X and the Black Power Killings in Trinidad", which appeared in a fine little collection entitled The Return of Eva Peron, with the Killings in Trinidad (André Deutsch, 1980).

Black Power -- away from its United States source -- is jargon...a sentimental hoax. In a place like Trinidad, racial redemption is as irrelevant for the Negro as for everybody else. It obscures the problems of a small independent country with a lopsided economy, the problems of a fully "consumer" society that is yet technologically untrained and without the intellectual means to comprehend the deficiency. ] [Emphasis mine. Walt]

It perpetuates the negative, colonial politics of protest. It is, in the end, a deep corruption: a wish to be granted a dispensation from the pains of development, an almost religious conviction that oppression can be turned into an asset, race into money.

While the dream of redemption lasts, Negroes will continue to exist only that someone might be their leader. Redemption requires a redeemer; and a redeemer, in these circumstances, cannot but end like the Emperor Jones: contemptuous of the people he leads, and no less a victim, seeking an illustory personal emancipation.

In Trinidad, as in every black West Indian island, the too easily awakened sense of oppression and the theory of the enemy point to the desert of Haiti.

Hmmm. Haiti. Yes. And Mr. Naipaul wrote that in the mid-70s [when you could still use the word "Negro". Ed.]. Look at Haiti today -- more of a "desert" than it was 40 years ago. Look too at Zimbabwe, whose "redeemer", Comrade Robert Gabriel Mugabe, is only 90, but determined to hang onto power until the desertification of his country is complete. Mr. Mandela, at least, was spared that.

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

The American government's interventionist foreign policies are wrong-headed, counter-productive and just plain stupid. Ron Paul told you so. Walt told you so. But the Bushes, pater et filius, the Clintons and Hussein Obama told you the opposite. Who ya gonna believe?

To judge by the results of the last election -- was it only a year ago? -- the Merkin people believed the politicians and the establishment. But today comes a sign that the scales are finally falling off the eyes of Joe the Plumber.

Today, for the first time in almost four decades of polling, a study by the Pew Research Center (in association with the Council on Foreign Relations) suggests that the majority of Americans believe the US plays a less important and powerful role in the world than it did ten years ago.

As the chart at the right shows, most people now believe America should “mind its own business internationally”.

The findings of the Pew poll suggest Americans think their country is now less respected abroad, bucking a trend in which Americans believed their reputation had recovered since the Prez Obama was elected. Funny how giving him a Nobel prize for doing nothing except being black would give that impression. But the penny has dropped, and impressions of how the US is perceived under Obama are now, broadly, as negative as they were in the final days of the administration of Bush the Younger.

Although there is a growing desire for the development of stronger trade and business links abroad, it seems that Americans want their leaders to adopt a less interventionist approach to solving the world's political and social problems. It's time, many people think, to stop trying to be the world's policeman and concentrate on fixing the many things that are broken in the Land of the Free Lunch.

But will America's political leaders listen? Is the Pope Catholic? [The answer to both questions is meant to be "NO". Ed.]

Monday, December 2, 2013

In this morning's piece about Zwarte Piet (see below) Walt wished all the PC types a Merry Christmas. But I wasn't the only one sending out seasonal greetings to those who think Western religion and culture have no place in our modern secular society.

Brian Pallister is leader of the Progressive Conservative [sic] Party of the Canadian province of Manitoba. Last week he got scrummed inside the legislature building by blogger Natalie Pollock. She had the ole camcorder on while Mr. Pallister expressed his feelings for those who feel excluded by all this Christian talk about Christmas. Here's the video.

Reaction from the usual gang of progressive thinkers, secular humanists, atheists and other infidels was as swift as it was predictable. Donna Harris, president of something that calls itself "Humanists, Atheists, and Agnostics of Manitoba" -- number of members unknown -- told the Winnipeg Free Press, "It was very judgmental. The use of the word 'infidels' is especially troubling and negative because there are many countries around the world where being a non-believer, or infidel, may possibly be a death sentence."

Fortunately for Ms Harris, Canada is not among those "many countries". [Which ones could she have meant? Ed.]

When challenged, Mr. Pallister stuck to his guns, defending his use of the word "infidel", which he said the dictionary defines as "non-believer." And so it does.

"I’m always disappointed when people misrepresent the meaning of the words. What I was trying to do there is include everyone in my best wishes over the holidays," he told a press conference this morning. He said he also regrets when his opponents misrepresent what he says. "That being said, I just ask that people in Manitoba ... forgive me at this time of year if they think that I have stepped on their toes, but I sincerely just meant to include everyone in my best wishes. That’s all."

Walt has obtained Mr. Pallister's e-mail address and will be sending him a link to this post, with my very best -- and very politically incorrect -- wishes for a MERRY CHRISTMAS.

Footnote: Mr. Pallister is the MLA for the provincial riding of Fort Whyte. Just a coincidence.

As Walt told you almost a month ago, when Sinterklaas (aka "Santa Claus") comes to the Netherlands, he comes with an assistant, a comical fellow known as Zwarte Piet (= "Black Pete"). Piet is not really black of course, people of that hue being infrequently seen in Holland... until recently.

Zwarte Piet has been a part of the Dutch Christmas tradition since time immemorial. But in the politically correct 21st century, he has come under attack as being... wait for it... a racist stereotype. People in public life should keep that in mind before being seen, let alone photographed, with poor Piet.

Unfortunately for his political career, a newly-elected member of the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly, forgot this lesson in political correctness. Halifax MLA Joachim Stroink has been forced by the PC police to delete a photo he tweeted of himself posing with the controversial character at a Christmas event hosted by his Dutch-Canadian constituents last night.

Mr. Stroink, who is evidently of Dutch descent, said he never meant for the photo to offend. "As a child growing up and celebrating the Sinterklaas and Zwarte Piet tradition, the blackface did not lead me to think less of my African Nova Scotian neighbours and friends, and as such I was not sensitive to the potential to offend," he wrote on his Facebook page.

Still, Stroink stressed that Dutch culture has long emphasized a black elf-like character as part of its Christmas tradition. "While the history of Zwarte Piet and the blackface have contributed to perpetuating negative stereotypes," he added, "to ignore or to disavow Zwarte Piet would be to ignore that history within the Dutch community."

And that's how things are in Canada these days. And in the USA, the UK, Australia and New Zealand too. Cultural and religious traditions are wonderful... as long as they're not Western Christian traditions. To the PC Grinches who want us to turn our backs on our religion and culture, Walt says "MERRY CHRISTMAS"!!!

Footnote: Hope you noticed that Sinterklaas is wearing the mitre of a Christian bishop... because that's what he was!

About Me

Working-class Americans have been screwed by immigration, globalization, and adventurist foreign policies, perpetuated by both parties, at the bidding of the (((donors))) who have benefited from them most. Economic disruption and wage stagnation, fuelled in large part by globalization, are at the heart of the nation's problems. President Trump must remember this if he hopes to win a second term.